Symonds: Williams won’t compete without bigger budget

Williams chief technical officer Pat Symonds has said that the team need to find more finance if they are going to regularly threaten at the top.

The team surprised most F1 observers by finishing third in the constructors championship, after a strong 2014 which saw multiple podium finishes for drivers Valtteri Bottas and Felipe Massa.

However, Symonds told AUTOSPORT that maintaining their lofty position will be even harder:

“I think the step from third to first will be harder than ninth to third, I really do. The potential has to be to win the world championship and there is no point in doing anything else.

“What will it take to do what? It will take a lot of hard work and it will certainly require a larger budget than we have now.”

Symonds’s team boast the all-conquering Mercedes engine but it is likely that both Ferrari and Renault start to catch them shortly, and Symonds says Williams need a little extra to starve them off.

“I don’t think it is necessary  to have a budget like Red Bull’s and Ferrari’s- I believe you can do better with less- look at the fact we are operating at half of the budget of Ferrari’s and we beat them.

“But ultimately, that is the only reason I have taken this job on: I want to win another championship before I go and sit on the beach.”

✅ Check out more posts with related topics: